Matthew DeBord/BI
Fender has jumped into the effects-pedal game.
- Fender has rolled out a new lineup of effects pedals for guitars.
- Fender hasn't been well-known for its pedal game in the past.
- I tested out three of the new pedals with a Fender Telecaster and a Pro Junior IV amplifier - and decided that the company now offers musicians a compelling all-Fender rig.
Earlier this year, I got to check out an all-new lineup of guitar effects pedals from Fender.
Fender is among the most famous brands in the music world - but although its iconic Stratocasters and Telecasters need no introduction, and its amplifiers are equally legendary, it has never been known for effects pedals.
It was an understandable omission. The pedal universe of one of often obscure and esoteric boutique boxes sharing space with dominant players, such as Boss and MXR. But the popularity of pedals has surged in the past decades, and the good-old plug-in-and-play philosophy of many seasoned guitarists have given way to a sonic landscape where the six-string is competing with electronic and digital instruments.
The modern axe-wielder needs to shape his or her sound a lot more extensively than Keith Richards (a Telecaster legend) ever did. Just look at the legacy of U2's Edge, who has never relied on a dry signal between any of his many guitars and any of his many amps.
Fender has entered the pedal fray with six units: overdrive, distortion, reverb, delay, compression, and buffer (the last two are aimed at gigging musicians more than basement warriors).
The company loaned me a Santa Ana Overdrive, a Pugilist Distortion, and a Marine Layer Reverb to try out at a more leisurely pace. Fender also lent me my preferred Fender setup: a new American Professional Telecaster and a Pro Junior IV amp.
Here's how it went.